Deer & Deer Hunting Forums: White Tail Deer Hunting Forum

My friends and I are from Western PA and we have decided to leave the state finally to go on an achery hunt. We are leaning towards iowa. Anyone have any suggestions as to where we can have good access to public land? We have been doing a decent amount of research, but its hard to find whether land is open to the public or whats going on. We dont really have a preference where in the state it is. We would just like the opportunity to make the trip and hopefully see some of those iowa giants. Im not looking for exact locations, but if one of you guys could help us narrow it down to an area that has a decent amount of public land, that would be great!

Since I live here, I have never looked too deeply into the specifics of Iowa's non-resident license application. I know it is an expensive and time consuming process. Enough so, that it has kept my out of state relatives and friends from hitting me up for a hunt. I think you will need to be patient.

Secondly, please remember that individual results may vary. Most of those "Iowa giants" are on well managed private lands. Do not invest the time and money if your happiness is dependent on killing a B&C. The TV hype and the reality of hunting public lands or small private parcels in Iowa and two different things.

All that being said, if you want to come see some beautiful Midwestern scenery and have a chance a decent deer, it can be well worth the effort. I live in South Central Iowa and Steven's Forest is the largest public hunting in the area. There are a number of units spread over 2-3 counties. As long as you do not mind modest lodging, there are plenty of small town motels to choose from. Bow hunting, particularly during the week should offer you a fairly private hunt. Does should be plentiful and targeting a 2.5-3.5 year old buck between 110-130" would be a realistic goal. Of course B&C bucks are not out of the question, but they are far from common.

thanks for the replies!
jph.. thank you for the info.. to me a 110 to a 130 would be a great accomplishment.
we are just looking to get out of PA, explore the country a little bit. Im using the trip as a way to sight see and partake in my passion. Even if I come home empty handed, it would be a worth while trip, just to say I made it out. Ive been looking and until you get the tag and license and other fees, its a little less than $500 i think.. or around there. Most websites ive seen say that it takes about 2 to 3 preference points to get drawn, which fits my time table pretty well. As far as the lodging goes, thats what I would be looking for, something modest like you said. We even entertained the thought of trying to camp somewhere.. how feasible is that?